New research released on Thursday raises concerns that a small group of companies and countries are using the global atmospheric commons to dispose of potentially hazardous and climate-altering industrial waste from loosely regulated commercial spaceflights.
The study examined a pollution plume following a Falcon rocket that descended through the upper atmosphere on February 19, 2025, after SpaceX lost control during re-entry. The rocket had been launched earlier that month to deploy 20 to 22 Starlink satellites into orbit.
Authors of the study indicated this is the first time that debris from a specific spacecraft disintegration has been traced and measured in the near-space region between 80 to 110 kilometers above Earth. Changes in this area can affect the stratosphere's ozone and climate processes. Historically, human activities have had minimal impact in this region.
The researchers noted that element-specific monitoring could become part of a larger strategy to track how emissions from re-entry scatter and accumulate, thereby allowing policymakers to understand and address the growing atmospheric footprint of spaceflights.
“I was surprised how extensive the event was, visually,” study lead Robin Wing, researcher at the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics, stated via email. According to Wing, individuals across northern Europe captured images of the burning debris, which was concentrated enough to allow for high-resolution observations and atmospheric model tracing of lithium to its source.
The study illustrates that instruments can detect rocket pollution in the so-called 'Ignorosphere' (upper atmosphere near space),” Wing wrote. “There is hope that we can address this issue proactively before entering a new era of unchecked emissions from space,” he added.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to questions or requests for comment from Inside Climate News.
According to a 2024 report by the United Nations University, the rapid expansion of commercial space activity is outpacing the inconsistently followed and voluntary guidelines currently in place. The report cautioned that without increased global monitoring and cooperation, the rising demand for satellite launches could escalate pollution risks in shared space environments.